Wheeled toy



April 6,1926. 1,579,884 P. MYERS WHEELED TOY Filed Nov. 18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fave/16w. 7

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P. MYERS WHEELED TOY April 6,1926.

Filed Nov. 18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP MYERS, on GLEN VIEW, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE j'roY rmxnns, Inc, or

nvans'ron, ILLINOIS, A oonrona'rzon or ILLINOIS.

WHEELED TOY.

Application filed November 18, 1925. Serial No. 69,770.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PHILIP'MYERS, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Glen View, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved lVheeled Toy, of which the follow-' ing is a specification.

My invention relates to toys and in its general objects aims to provide a toy in which a number of the constituent parts can readly be assembled in various groupings and arrangements to make the toy resemble diiferent articles, in which no tools will be required for assembling or disass embling these parts, and in which the interchangeably grouped parts will be held securely in position. when assembled.

Furthermore, my invention provides a structural toy particularly adapted for simulating vehicles of various types. v

More particularly, my invention provides a toy in whicha number of interchangeable parts are adapted to be mounted on a base member in various groupings and positions, in which the base member is 'arranged for gripping these interchangeable parts in any of their various positions, and in which simple means associated with the base mem-- ber serve of firmly latching the assembled interchangeable members to the base.

In one of its advantageous applications, my invention particularly lends itself to the production of a wheeled toyin which bodyblocks maybe interchangeably attached to e a wheel-carrying chassis for constructing toys simulating various types of vehicles. Hence I am illustrating and describing my 7 invention in'connection with awheeled toy embodying my invention and having cer--' tain of the interchangeably attachable body blocks grouped so thatthe resulting toy vehicle'simulates an automobile of the sedan tye. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same Figs. 3, 4, and 5; are] reduced elevations, similar to Fig. 1, but; showing. bodyblocks 1 grouped on the chassis of the vehlcle to .Fig. 6 is a plan view of the chassis of the toy vehicle with the body blocks detached.

Fig. 7 isa bottom view of the vehicle,

Fig. 10 is anenlarged perspective view of one of the body blocks.

Fig. 11 is a perspective viewof the demake this respectively simulatea street car,

a band wagon and a'delivery truck.

tachable thrust member against'whic-h the assembled. body blocks are pressed by the spring mounted on the rear of the chassis. In the illustrated embodiment, my toy is shown in a form in which interchangeably grouped body blocks are disposed behind one another upon a horizontally extending base member which forms the chassis of a toy vehicle, the body blocks (numbered from 1 to 5 inclusive according to their respective sizes and types) being supplied in a sufiioient number of each to permit one or more of each to be included in the se lected group.

This base member is formed of sheetp metal and includes a flat horizontal base 6 having its rear end turned upward to afford a thrust web 7 and'having a perforation 8 near its forward end. Connected to the opposite longitudinal edges of the base 1 are a pair of webs 9 which overhang the base 6and which have their opposed edges spaced by a distance less than the uniform thickness of the body blocks. Each body block is provided on its opposite faces with at least one pair of grooves 10 adapted to be enteredrespectively' by the webs 9, these grooves being parallel to one face of the block and spaced from that face by a. distance approximately the distance between the base 6 and the free edge ofeither of the webs 9, thereby enabling each body block to be slidably engaged by the. ward webs (as .shown in Fig. 8) when slid along the base from the forward end thereof. I.

Secured t0 the rear thrust" web 7 1s a compression spring 11 against which the rear member of the row of blocks abuts and which spring presses the row of blocks against a thrust member disposed near the forward end of the base member. This thrust member, as shown in Fig. 11 has av base portion 12 of a width approximately that of the base 6 and hence adapted to have its lateral ends underhang the webs 9, and a riser portion 13 adapted to engage the forward end of the row of body blocks. To secure such a thrust member to the base member, I desirably'provide the base portion 12 with a perforation let adapted to aline with the perforation 8 in'the base member and snap through the alined perforations a pull-hook 15 to which the pull cord 16 of the vehicle is attached.

All of the body blocks have their dimensions (longitudinally of the grooves in the blocks) amultiple of a given measurement, and the distance (marked 1'7 in Fig. 6) b tween the perforation 8 and the forward end of the spring is slightly shorter than a given multiple of that unit, so that the spring will be under compression when the length of the assembled group of blocks corresponds to that given multiple." Thus, in Fig. 1, the smallest block 3 is the unit of measurement; the blocks 2 are of the same length, but twice as high, the block 1 is of double this unit length and height, and the blocks t and 5 are each double this unit in length and four times this unit in height, while the normal distance 17 of Fig. (5 is somewhat less than twelve times this unit of length. By thus making the height of certain blocks also a multiple of the same unit of length, I can employ the same blocks also when disposed with either of two faces upright, for which purpose I provide them also with additional grooves 10 at right angles to the grooves 10 and spaced similar to the latter from adjacent faces of the blocks. To increase the variety of shapes which can be given to the group of blocks, I also desirably vary the shapes of some of these, as for example by including blocks 1 of sector-shaped longitudinal section and by providing blocks 4: with projections 18.

If the toy is to constitute a vehicle, I mount the base 6 on wheels, for which purpose I am picturing the base member as having two pairs of integral downwardly directed cars 19 through each of which pairs,

of ears a wheel shaft 20 extends, and am showing wheels 21 on these shafts, each wheel being spaced from the adjacent ear by a bushing 22.

By'employing a snap-hook 15 both as the pull-hook to which a cord is attached and as a part of the means against which the spring presses the row of blocks, I simplify the toy and make it easy for even a young child to atta h andd tach t e b eksil as em led positions; and by employing an angle-sectioned thrust member such as that of Fig. 11 as another portion of the thrust means, I prevent the forward block from crawling up on the pull-hook.

However, while I have illustrated and described my invention in a wheeled embodiment including numerous desirable details of construction and arrangement, I do not wish to be limited as to these, since many changes might obviously be made without departing enther from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a toy, a supporting member provided with a pair of opposed webs overhanging the top of the said member, a row of supported members carried-by the supporting member and each having oppositely directed grooves respectively entered by the said webs, the supported members being slidably attachable from one end of the supporting member, stop means carried by the base member and engaging one end of the said row of supported members, and detachable thrust means engaging the other end of the said row.

2. In a toy, a supporting member provided with a pair of opposed webs overhanging the top of the saidmember, a row of supported members car 'ied by the supporting member and each having oppositely directed grooves respectively entered by the said webs, the supported members being slidably attachable from one end of the supporting member, stop means carried .by the base member and engaging one end of the said row of supported members, a thrust member detachable from the base member and engaging the other end of the said row, and releasable means for latching the thrust member to the base member.

3. In a toy, a base member comprising a horizontal base having its lateral edges upturned to afford a pair of opposed webs, a row of blocks carried by the base member and laterally guided by the said webs, and two clamping members secured to the base member and respectively engaging the endward faces of the said row of blocks to clamp the said blocks between them, one of the clamping members being yielding and the row of blocks being greater in length than the distance between the clamping members when the blocks are detached from the base.

4. In a toy, a base member comprising a horizontal base having its lateral edges upturned to afford a pair of opposed webs, a row of blocks carried by the base member and laterally guided by the said webs, and two clamping membfirssecured to the base member and respectively engaging the endwa'rd faces of the said row ofiblocks to lamp the sa d bloqs between them, each two clamping members secured to the base member and respectively engaging the endward faces of thesaid row of blocks to V clamp the said blocks between them, each lock having a pair of grooves in its opposite sides respectively entered by the'said webs, certain of the blocks being of rectangular vertical section longitudinally of the said flanges and being provided with two pairs of grooves extending transversely of each other to permit the said blocks to be engaged by the webs in either of two relative positions of the blocks.

6. In a toy, a supporting member provided with a pair of opposed webs overhanging the top of the said member, a row of supported members seated on the supporting member and each having oppositely directed grooves respectively entered by the said webs, the supported members being slidably attachable from one end of thesupportingmenr her, a compression spring secured at one end to the supporting member and having its other end engaging one end of the row of supported members, a thrust member slidably attachable to the supporting member from the aforesaid end thereof, and releasable means connecting the thrust member with the supporting member to prevent 7. In a toy, a supporting member provided with a pair of opposed webs overhanging the top of the said member, a row of "supported members seated on the supporting member and each having oppositely directed grooves respectively entered by the said webs, the supported members being slidably attachable fro-1n one end of the supporting member, a stop carried by the base member and'engaging one end of the said row of supported members, and thrust means engaging the other end of the saidrow, and thrust means including a member detachable from the base memberand adapted to have a pull cord attached to the same.

8. A wheeled toy comprising a chassis including a horizontal base portion and a pair of webs overhanging thev lateral edges of the said base portion, supporting wheels revolubly connected to the chassis, a stop carried by the chassis and disposed above the top of the saidbase portion, a row of body blocks provided at their opposite sides with grooves respectively entered by the said webs and disposed with one end of the said row engaging the stop, and thrust means re leasably attached to the chassis and engaging the other end of the said row.

9. A wheeled toy as per claim 8, in which the thrust means include a snap hook attach able to the chassis and adapted for connec- 7 tion to a cord by which the wheeled top may be drawn. H o

10. A wheeled toy as per claim'8, in which the said base portion has a perforation; and in which the thrust means comprise a thrust memberengaging the said other end of the row of body blocks and'havin'g a perforation alined with theperforation in the basev portion, and a latching member extending through the said alined perforations for se curing the thrust member to the said base portion.

11. A wheeled toy as per claim 8, in which the thrust means include a thrust member having one portion seated on the said base portion and underhanging the said webs, and having another portion engaging the said other end ofthe row of body blocks;

the thrust means also including a detachable member latching the first named portion of the thrust member to the said base I portion.

12. In a toy, a base member having an tions interchangeably adapted to serve as part of the said interengaging formations so as to permit these blocks to be interengaged with the base member in either of two positions.

Signed at Evanston, Illinois, November 14th,1925.

PHILIP MYERS.

in which certain ofthe blocks have a plurality of forma- 

